books

Survival-minded readers will appreciate the latest series of books coming from Whitman Publishing’s Second Amendment Media: Grid Down Survival.

The Grid Down Survival Guides offer preparedness information that would be vital in many disaster situations although, as the name implies, they focus on a grid down scenario in which infrastructure fails and societal norms begin to collapse. Grid Down could be anything from minor disruptions in every day creature comforts to SHTF/TEOTWAWKI (s**t hitting the fan /the end of the world as we know it) and, in the spirit of “hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” the guide series puts a good deal of focus on the latter end of that spectrum. Such a scenario may sound far-fetched but, realistically, we could be one relatively minor disaster away from a grid-down situation at any moment.

Consider the devastating aftermath – both natural and man-made – when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Consider the events that unfolded during the nationwide “protests” stemming from the situation in Ferguson, Missouri over the past year: violence, looting, burned buildings, national guard mobilization, police shootings, interstate highway shutdowns and more. Consider the fragility of our power grid in the scope of threats like the 2013 sniper attacks on California power stations, which knocked out 17 transformers that took over a month to repair, solar flares, or enemy attacks and the amount of time it would take to recover given the production capacity for power station equipment and the existing stock (or lack thereof) of replacement parts.

The “war on coal,” the fight against hydraulic fracturing (fracking), pushback against the Keystone XL Pipeline and other factors may even further imperil our energy infrastructure – even if only by causing increased economic strain on the industry and consumers. Crumbling bridges and non-existent “shovel ready” highway projects might show cracks in our transportation grid. With economic turmoil in the European market (Greek tragedy?), Russia tangling with Ukraine and annexing Crimea, Iranian nuke talks, conflict with the Norks over hacking allegations, and countless other examples of instability in the world, it just makes sense to be prepared. Continue reading →

This first edition covers a wide variety or shotguns. Full color and fully illustrated, this book offers accurate pricing estimates along with shotgun specifications, production history, and other valuable information. Also introduced in A Guide Book of Shotgun Values is the original Redbook Code, a universal system of organizing firearms on the secondary market. Along with the Redbook Code, the book also establishes a consumer-friendly pricing model. The editors offer values for multiple buying and selling scenarios, making it easy for both consumers and dealers to access accurate pricing. Our model includes pricing for the following:

Dealer-to-Consumer (D2C)

Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)

Consumer-to-Dealer (C2D)

Last Manufacturer’s Price (LMP)

Additionally, since wear is a huge factor in determining a firearm’s value, A Guide Book of Shotgun Values offers a firearm condition grading scale, rating guns at NIB (New in Box), Mint, Excellent, VG+ (Very Good Plus), Good, Fair, and Poor. With all of these elements to offer, this book will quickly become your go-to reference guide for shotgun pricing.

In addition to these existing firearm value guides, 2nd Amendment Media has plans to expand the lineup even further with a comprehensive guide of pistol, rifle, and shotgun values which will be released this summer and is currently available for pre-order.

Whitman Publishing’s 2nd Amendment Media has added another title to their bookshelf of CCW resources. Their trio of Legally Armed, Armed & Smart, and Armed & Smarter provide concise state-by-state summaries of gun laws and discussion of basic and advanced CCW topics, respectively. Their Red Book of Carry Gun Values lets owners and prospective buyers find out what a carry gun is worth in various conditions. The latest edition that we had a chance to take a look at, the Carry Gun Companion, takes things in a little bit of a different direction.

The Carry Gun Companion is a deceptively-thin 190 page compilation of discussion of concealed carry topics followed by over a hundred pages of carry gun porn – something most firearms enthusiasts can appreciate. You won’t have to lie about “just reading the articles,” though; each photo of the almost five dozen popular carry guns (complete with stats including size, weight, capacity, MSRP and street price, trigger pull, and turn-ons. Ok, we made up that last one) is accompanied by a write-up detailing the firearm’s features and available options that make it a desirable carry piece. The publishers know what you’re after, though – what else would explain why the page number in the index points to the photo for each firearm rather than the write-up on the preceding page.

Although the Carry Gun Companion is, of course, by no means an exhaustive list of carry guns, it does contain all but one of the CCW pistols (or a comparable model) that I have carried and many that I have only drooled over. The accompanying article with each firearm is descriptive and gives the type of general information that “gun guys and gals” will like without geeking out so much that the casual firearm enthusiast’s eyes will gloss over.

The 60-odd pages that make up “The Archive” portion of the book include a history of US gun laws – including the origins of the Second Amendment and its current status – as well as devoting a few pages each to a number of topics of interest to gun owners, including politics, types of firearms and ammunition and basic firearm maintenance and safety.

In the introduction, the editors say that their mission was to “produce a collection of information related to all aspects of the concealed carry world, including close looks at specific popular handguns but also exploring the ideological terrain surrounding the guns themselves.” It seems like they met that goal with the Carry Gun Companion. Whether you are going to use it as a coffee table book to pick up and read when there is nothing on television, a bathroom reader, or a basic guide on what your next carry gun will be, this is a fun little book.

A new trio of concealed carry resources are available from the recently launched2nd Amendment Media imprint of Whitman publishing. The trio includes a summary of firearms laws around the United States and two guides to carrying a concealed firearm.

Legally Armed: A Concealed Carry Gun Law Guide includes a state-by-state guide to the “law of the land” concerning various aspects of CCW with photo illustrations by firearms photographer Oleg Volk. The book covers basics like who can get a carry permit, whether open carry is allowed, how firearms can (and can not) be carried in vehicles. The guide also covers essentials like where you can and can not carry (for instance, in restaurants that serve alcohol or state parks), whether or not you have the “duty to inform” a law enforcement officer if they make contact with you, and more – including relevant excerpts from the state laws. Legally Armed also touches on other aspects of firearms ownership, such as NFA status.

Each state is also graded on an A+ (like Kentucky) through F (like Illinois) scale based on how much gun control. Additionally, contact information is given for the entity that regulates concealed carry such as the state police or state’s attorney general’s office.

In addition to an overview of the 50 states’ laws, Legally Armed also covers Continue reading →

2nd Amendment Media’s inaugural publication, Legally Armed: A Concealed Carry Gun Law, released earlier this month, is billed as “the one guide you need for concealed carry gun law.” This book covers concealed carry laws nationwide, highlighting common points of law for each state and the District of Columbia, such that a reader should clearly understand how each jurisdiction differs.

Any concealed carry permit holder should know that the laws for carrying a firearm vary from state to state. This book clears up any confusion associated with interstate travel or relocation. The opening chapters give a general overview or what to consider before obtaining a permit, how to interact with law enforcement when carrying a concealed weapon, gun handling and storage, and traveling with a firearm. The remaining pages of the book break down concealed carry law by state.

GunLink recently got our hands on a copy of a brand new book by 17 year old British LEGO-whiz Jack Streat. Why am I talking about toy bricks on a firearms website? Because the book is LEGO® Heavy Weapons: Build Working Replicas of Four of the World’s Most Impressive Guns, an instruction manual on how to create realistic model firearms from a popular children’s toy.

If you like guns and you were ever a child with building blocks, chances are good that you may have fashioned those blocks into crude L-shaped “guns” to battle make-believe bank robbers or other bad guys. Rest assured that Jack’s creations are NOT those crude L-shaped chunks of plastic!

You may have already seen some of Streat’s creations on the internet; he posted his first LEGO gun online several years ago at the age of 13 and has kept it up ever since, sharing pictures, instructions, tips and videos which have been a big hit with LEGO enthusiasts and gun-geeks alike. His YouTube channel boast nearly 17 million views, including his working LEGO AK-47 with over 3.3 million views alone.

As if it weren’t plain enough just from looking at the pictures of Jack’s creations, the book’s introduction drives home the point that he clearly possesses a sharp, creative mind and sound engineering principles. Along with some of his personal background, the author describes his methods, extolling the benefits of modular design and detailing his use of CAD (computer aided design) software throughout the process.